Persona 5: The Prodigal Third
by ACaramelLatte
Summary: When your life is measured by how you live up to the legacy of someone else, it's certainly a prison in its own right. Ryosuke Arisato was transferred into Shujin Academy out of the blue. Then, there was also the mysterious and eccentric woman named Elizabeth. And what does Minato have to do with this? *Rewrote the last chapter. Please tell me which one you liked more*
1. 1 Soaring Expectations

PERSONA 5: THE PRODIGAL THIRD

Chapter 1: Soaring Expectations

It was sometime around March of 2010.

I was about nine years old, and completely unaware of the situation. My parents put me at the back of the car to attend some kind of event.

My black suit was hastily put on, and I watched as the raindrops fell on an otherwise sunny day, as if nature itself forgot how it was supposed to feel. I remember how I felt though, and I felt really bored.

Soon enough, the lock on the door was lifted and I got off of the car to enter a peaceful yet dreadful scene.

I was at a funeral.

The one who passed was one Minato Arisato, a cousin whom I barely knew.

Many people were crying in front of me, and I recognized their uniforms as those of a nearby High School. Gekkoukan, if I remembered correctly.

I was sure these people knew my cousin more than I did, but the stares they gave me back then were still painful, stinging as if I were doing something wrong somehow.

Was it my fault that I didn't know the person who died? Was I somehow bound to the expectations of other people I barely knew?

If they expected me to cry just because I had the privilege of being relatively closer to the person inside the casket, was I supposed to?

Yet, I felt something. Something happened back then, something I had forgotten.

All I remembered after the funeral were my parents scolding me for something I did. I wonder what it was.

For the next six years, that thought always came up from the back of my mind.

I shook my head, now wasn't the time to lose my head, I had to remember what I was here for.

Oh yeah, the train.

I was headed to Shibuya in Tokyo to a dormitory there. I was to transfer to Shujin Academy, where a mysterious someone had apparently paid for my tuitions to go there for the school year.

That someone even gave me a free place to stay, and it only made the mystery run deeper.

… Something was up, but I had no idea where to start looking. All I knew was that my parents had accepted, and I was now headed to unfamiliar territory. Free was free, and that sealed the deal.

I wonder who it was. My father said it was a young and eccentric woman with white hair garbed in blue. She had apparently known of Minato Arisato…

There it was again, the name of the certain someone I barely knew was the cause of another turning point in my life.

Why was Minato Arisato so important? Why was he so damn significant?

I opened my dorm room with and threw the bag near the door. I was exhausted beyond belief and

I went down like a ragdoll in the bed I was to sleep in for the rest of the year.

…

It was like stepping on something slippery, and the world before me fell apart.

I woke up in cold sweat in the middle of the night.

My body was tired, but it seemed to reject sleep. I was left to watch the ceiling when the door to my room opened. In walked a woman with short, white hair and clad in a blue dress. Her eyes were bright yellow, and her mouth was twisted in a smile that was both warm and eerie, like a puzzle that kept on changing.

For some reason, I felt like I met her before.

"Hello." She said. "How was your day?"

I shrugged. "Surprising. You?"

She chuckled.

"This is most surprising. You claim to be fazed and yet you can hold a decent conversation at this time of night. Very interesting, I must say."

I shook my head.

"Look, lady. Right now, I'm actually really, really uncomfortable and I'm trying my hardest not to scream. I mean, you just snuck in my bedroom at this hour! How the heck am I supposed to react?"

She grimaced for a split second before shrugging.

"Are you sure that's the first thing you have in mind?"

I shook my head.

"No. I just really want to know why I'm here. You paid for my boarding and tuitions, am I right?"

She nodded.

"Seems you humans are attracted to currency, so I just flipped some switches here and there…"

"Why me, and why right now of all times?"

I couldn't help butting in. It was MAY, goddammit. The school year already started when this happened.

"I need your help. There are things even I could not do alone. Someone from years past taught me that."

"Uh huh." I scratched my head. "In that case, I'm sure you'll find someone better somewhere. Me? I'm not good for anything."

She smiled.

"Ah… I can see that the years have gotten to you, no? I must have been mistaken when I thought of the young boy with bright eyes those six years ago. And yet, I can still sense the power from within you…"

It was at that moment when something from the back of my head clicked.

Like a dam deep within my mind had suddenly been torn asunder, a flood of memories washed my head.

She was there at the funeral.

She walked up to me, with those yellow eyes of hers and a forced smile.

" _My, my… Could it be?"_

I instinctively put my fingers on my temples, as if trying to force myself to remember more.

" _What is your name, little one? Could you write it down here?"_

"You…"

I looked at her.

"Back then… What did you make me do?"

She smiled once more.

"Ah… I almost forgot. I made you sign a contract right…"

She pulled out what looked like a book seemingly out of nowhere. Flicking through the pages, I felt my heart stop.

What had I gotten myself into?

"… Here." She said, handing me an intricately designed piece of paper coloured blue. I took it in my hands and saw my nine year old self's writing, my name scribbled at the bottom of the page barely on the line below.

 _Ryosuke Arisato_

From that moment…

No… From the moment I signed that piece of paper six years ago, I knew my fate was sealed.

"So… What do I do?" I said out loud, albeit unintentionally.

"Ah, it seems you have accepted your fate easier than I thought you would. And here I thought I would've had to apply special human techniques to get you to oblige."

I raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of techniques?"

She suddenly blushed.

"Someone once taught me… No, it's…"

The large presence that invaded my veins with fear earlier was now mumbling like a lovesick schoolgirl in front of me. I couldn't help a chuckle, and she didn't seem to mind.

"Anyway… I sensed a great deal of potential from within you. Back then, I had hoped this contract would be necessary in case we needed someone of your talents."

I butted in.

"We?"

She shrugged.

"I speak of my master and the other inhabitants of the Velvet Room. I shall explain this to you another time, but for now, I shall just discuss with you the specifics."

"Ooookay."

She cleared her throat.

"There is a looming presence that I could not explain, nor can I sense my family from within that room, and as such I need some help from someone with the potential."

"So, we're going to find this looming presence together?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, I have… other matters to attend to. Someone special to me forfeit their soul for the world to keep living. I am looking for a way to at least release his soul from this burden. I… I cannot prioritize anything more than this."

"I see." I said, nodding. "So I'm alone, then?"

She shook her head.

"There are others like you in this school, it seems. The root of the problem might be related there as well. In any case, there would be a place where you can get allies and solve the problem in a fell swoop."

I nodded. It didn't seem like there was any way out, and I just couldn't help feeling like this were something I was meant to do.

"I'm glad you understand. I'll see you tomorrow after school, Minato."

I froze in my tracks.

"Uhm…"

After a few moments had passed, she seemed to realize her blunder.

"I'm sorry. I meant to say Ryosuke. It seems you are more alike than I had thought, though. I expect a great deal from you."

There it was again, expectations from a complete stranger.

When she left, I sighed.

I didn't need to be a detective to know she wanted Minato to do this crap, not his easily forgotten relative.

I couldn't sleep anymore, so I turned on the lights and fixed my stuff.

It was May 2, and it was almost sunrise.

I made coffee and prepared a sandwich to eat after all my things were in order.

Cleaning wasn't that tiring when you had things in mind.

After taking my breakfast and dressing up, I went to school early.

I was supposed to meet with the principal, so I walked around campus looking for the office while staring at the building when all of a sudden, the speakers blared on.

"All students please go to the school gymnasium for general assembly!"

What.

Was I supposed to go there or-

God, this is more of a hassle than I thought.

"I wonder what this is about." One student asked another.

"Is this about the girl who tried to kill herself?" Another asked around.

So… someone tried to kill themselves? Not a great introduction to this school if you asked me.

Who I assumed was the principal was on stage. Good, saves me the trouble of waiting in the office for an hour or something, depending on how long this assembly is.

"Mr. Kamoshida, please get off the stage!"

A teacher was onstage crying and… confessing?

"I… I did terrible things. It's true that I… I was beating students… molesting female students… I was the reason Shiho Suzui tried to kill herself! I even tried to expel students just because I didn't like them… and I rescind those."

"Eew… So he IS a creep."

"I can't believe someone this bad is a teacher here."

The student body was filled with whispers, but I was quietly assessing the situation.

What the heck kind of school is this?

"So… I will resign from my position as a teacher… And kill myself to atone!"

Wow, pride much?

"No, you will live to atone for your crimes!"

A blonde girl was shouting from the students.

"You're right… I… I must atone. I admit that I forced myself on Ann Takamaki for my own selfish reasons… SOMEBODY CALL THE POLICE!"

Wow, what a dick.

This is a messed up first day of school if you ask me.

"Alright, alright! Go back to your classrooms!"

I headed to the principal's office and waited for his return.

And I waited.

And I waited.

God, the situation might have been worse than I thought, because a different teacher told me which class I was to attend as the principal was apparently too occupied.

I mean damn, that scandal is going to end up in the news.

This was all on my first damn day of Shujin. Well, I couldn't say anything about it not being memorable in years to come.

While I was walking at the hallway, I came across a seriously beautiful girl. Her brown hair was in a bob cut with blunt bangs and a French-braid headband that matched her hair, and her eyes were reddish brown… Something about her was making me feel differently. From the looks of it, she was a third year student in this school, and I never was the kind of person to fall for older girls, but this one…

There was a grace to her, like the gentle breeze in the spring. She looked imposing yet serene, like a candle burning bright and warm on a cold winter night.

I realized that I was rambling, but my thoughts were running wild. This never used to happen before, and I was sure as hell it'd never happen again.

"Uhm…"

"..?"

Crap. I didn't think I'd get this far.

"I-is there… W-where's Class D? I mean do you know if- I mean 2-D, of course… Uhm…"

She pointed up the stairs.

"It's near the end of the side over there. Are you a transfer student?"

I nodded.

"Nice to meet you, I'm the student council president, Makoto Niijima. I apologize for the rather aggressive morning, but I hope you like it here."

I was shocked, but I tried to pull myself together.

"I-I'm Ryosuke Arisato. A second year- but you probably already know that… it's nice to meet you too."

She smiled at me before returning the greeting with a nod.

The moment we went our separate ways, my heart was beating faster than a machine gun could spray lead. I was more shaken than I thought, and I nearly tripped more than once on my way to the classroom.

God, what a woman… Dammit, keep your thoughts down, Ryosuke, and let's look for the damn classroom already.

Class 2-D was apparently the last room with an open slot. It didn't seem too shabby at first, but I was worried when I heard whispers of "he's gonna kill you" and "that guy with the criminal record".

Well, I guess I'll be lucky if I could last a whole year with a convict.

… Oh right. Where the heck was I going to meet with that weird lady?

"Hey, new kid! Wanna join us? We're going to the ramen place!"

I waved my hand.

"I'm sorry, but I'm supposed to meet with someone right now. What about next time?"

I looked back and saw the person who invited me was already gone. That was rude, leaving someone hanging. Maybe he was just trying to be polite, asking the new kid out to eat.

Still, what a dick.

"I see you've gotten the hang of this place?" The lady from last night asked.

"Naw, lady. I'm actually really disoriented and my first day was pretty crappy. What do I do?"

She grimaced.

"I apologize if your living conditions aren't as good as I would've thought. In any case, we must be on our way."

"To where?"

"To the ramen place I keep hearing about! Seems delightful, don't you think?"

Crap, I just turned someone down. Showing up would just be a really dick move.

"Can we go somewhere else? I heard the diner here has lots of incredible tastes." I replied.

She thought for a second.

"But the ramen-"

"Please?" I asked again.

"My, my, it appears that you seem to enjoy the tastes of the fine dining there. Very well, our meeting will begin once when we get there."

"Great."

… I feel like I'm missing something.

"Hey, lady-"

"My name is Elizabeth."

Oh.

I knew I forgot something.

"Is there something you wish to inquire?"

I shook my head.

When we got there, we ordered some and went to business.

"Okay, what's the deal?"

"The Velvet Room has always been a place where in we help people obtain their goals. We encourage our guests and grant them the power to control and shape their inner psyches. We call this power 'Persona'."

"Okay… Go on."

"We have always been on the side of humanity, believing that it could survive any challenged imposed on it with pure will."

She frowned.

"I have not heard from the Velvet Room in a while, and neither have my siblings. It seemed as though our master… closed his doors, in a way. The last to see him was my sister, Lavenza, and yet it seemed as though we couldn't reach to her either."

"… So, what do I do?"

She looked at me.

"I need you to find out about the state of the Velvet Room as of the moment. A storm is brewing, and it seems the room is within the eye of it all."

I thought for a second.

"This storm… figuratively, how big would it be?" I asked.

"I assume it could affect the whole of humanity itself." Elizabeth answered.

My God…

The responsibility on my shoulders…

Weighing me down…

The expectations be damned…

"I see…" I answered.

Was it too late for me to back out?

"Isn't there anyone more suited for this job?" I asked.

"There might be someone else…"

I raised an eyebrow.

"But I fear they will not get here in time. They are preoccupied with their own matters, it seems."

I deflated.

Was I… truly alone now?

"Elizabeth… was Minato one of these people? A guest in the Velvet Room, I mean."

She looked down.

"Yes."

I looked at her.

"Is there a possibility that I could die?"

"Yes."

I clenched my fist.

"Did he die because of this… responsibility?"

"… Yes."

I gritted my teeth.

"Did he die alone?"

"Certainly not."

Her yellow eyes seemed renewed with conviction.

"He did not die because he faced a threat he couldn't handle, that I could say for sure. He died when he realized it was his purpose to give his life so the entire world wouldn't fall."

"What do you mean-"

"His soul is out there, suffering in an effort to seal an ancient evil from destroying the world. I'm doing everything I can to find a way to save him. I… I must do this!"

I've never seen someone so composed be so fired up in an instant like this.

I smiled.

"Fine, I'll do it. Just don't expect much from me, alright?"

She smiled in return.

"Good. We'll start later on this week."

With that said, she stood up, gave me a lot of coins, and left.

I felt a few hands patting my shoulder with words like "you'll get 'em next time, kiddo" and "the right one'll come soon enough".

Honestly, I think most of the people here misunderstood the situation. Nonetheless, it made me chuckle once I got home.

On May 6, I met her near the station after school.

She was carrying a briefcase of sorts, and she waved at me as I walked towards her.

"What's that?"

She opened it and inside was…

"It's your Evoker. You point it at your head, pull the trigger, and out comes your Persona."

It's a gun.

It's a damn gun.

"Woman, are you joking?"

"Oh, I do love to joke, but this doesn't seem to be the right time to do so, don't you think?"

Her face was still smiling.

I couldn't help but scratch my head.

"This is going to unleash my power?"

She nodded.

"Are you kidding me?"

"As I said, this isn't the time-"

I pointed at the briefcase.

"This is a gun, and you're asking me to put it on my head and pull the trigger. No way in hell that's gonna happen."

She frowned.

"Ah, but I'm quite serious."

"Your whole story about the Velvet Room and stuff like that seems pretty far-fetched too. Were you just kidding me all this time?"

Her face turned serious.

"If I were kidding, I wouldn't be giving you one of my prized possessions. I wouldn't be giving you Minato's Evoker if I weren't serious, young man."

Her gaze was piercing, and her yellow eyes seemed to dare me to say otherwise.

That aside… Seeing the case still made me have doubts.

"If what you're saying is true… Then show me."

Her frown turned into curiosity.

"What do you mean?"

"Show me how this could make me make use of my potential or something."

She shook her head.

"I don't have a need for an Evoker; my Compendium is all I need to summon Personae."

"Then…" I scratched my head. "Why not just give me the Compendium or something?"

"I'm afraid you can't handle the weight of such power." She replied.

"Fine, but at least prove me that this Evoker thingy won't kill me or something."

She smiled.

She took out the Evoker and pointed it on the ground. She pulled the trigger once and…

"It doesn't use bullets. I believe that its shape is some weapon and that makes the rush of deathlike Euphoria is what unleashes your power."

"Wow that sounds pretty kinky." I replied.

"I believe I do not understand this… 'kinky'. Would you mind rephrasing?"

I shook my head.

"It's nothing. Just… what do I do with it?"

She gave me the case.

"As I said earlier, it unlocks your potential, although it would be best if you used it only in dire situations and not for your own amusement."

I nodded.

"Sure. I'm not the type of person to point a gun at my head willy-nilly anyway."

She nodded.

"I leave this responsibility to you. Your job is both to learn of the Velvet Room's current conditions and to look on the possible threat that I sense here. I also sense Shadows somewhere, but it seems I cannot find them."

"Woah, what the heck are Shadows?"

"They are the human psyche that one wishes to hide from others and cannot accept. In other words, they take the forms of monsters and you will most likely encounter them time and time again."

"Woman, you could've told me this earlier!"

I rubbed my temples.

She smiled.

"Do not worry; I would not have given you this task had I believed you did not have the strength to overcome what comes your way."

I shrugged.

"I told you not to expect much."

She nodded.

"Then I do not expect, as I may already know that you can do what you need to do."

"I don't know where to start though."

She wondered.

"It seems the best course of action would be to look into the people in your school who possess the same potential you do."

Oh, well that wasn't so hard.

"Well, do I just ask people outright if they have Personae or something?"

She shook her head.

"Don't worry; you'll be surprised at how well fate can guide you to where you need to be."

In the back of my head, I still thought she might've had problems, but that all changed when the next day, I stumbled into Akira Kurusu, Ann Takamaki, and some other Shujin student that I didn't recognize hanging out near the subway.

I was in the middle of approaching them when all of the sudden the world seemed to become shades redder.

" _Keyword accepted. Mementos."_


	2. 2 At Gunpoint

Chapter 2: At Gunpoint

Where the hell was I?

The briefcase that stored my one weapon was starting to feel heavy. I gritted my teeth and walked around the red that used to be the subway.

"Ryosuke?"

I felt like I knew who had the voice, but in a rush of panic, I ran down the steps to the unseen below.

Terrible move.

Quickly, I realized the underground was much more dangerous than whatever was there up the steps. I was beginning to doubt my intentions when I heard huge steps from behind me.

I looked back and saw a hulking beast of black and white walking around. It didn't seem to notice me, and I made sure it never would.

Though I was tempted to take out the gun- the Evoker as Elizabeth called it, I took my chance wth hiding.

It was only for about half an hour, but it felt like an eternity when I heard a train's engine. Standing from my hiding place, I looked on with curiosity.

One f the gravest mistakes I've ever had in my life, and it would have been the last had I been a second later.

One of the creatures I saw earlier destroyed the concrete I stood on had I not jumped out of the way.

I checked my hands and still saw the briefcase held safely in between. I was tempted to take my weapon out, but I thought otherwise and decided instead to run as far away from the monster as possible.

For a while, I thought I was gaining distance between us. I was confident, and I looked back.

It wasn't there anymore, so I took five.

I rested on a black pillar to catch my breath, realizing a second later and a second too late that that was no pillar.

I was thrown off my feet, as if I weighed no more than a ball.

"Arisato!"

That voice... Kurusu?

"Hold on, Arisato! We're coming!"

Takamaki, Kurusu, and the other student were running towards me. At least, I thought they were, judging from the voices as they were wearing... surprisingly stylish clothes and weird masks.

Also, there was a weird cat monster with them, but it might as well have been a hallucination on my part.

I felt hope for a little bit.

But they didn't reach me.

Another monster came at them from behind, and I was stuck with the behemoth that struck me.

I started backing away, and it advanced at me at the same pace. It was probably mocking me.

"Arisato!"

I...

"ARISATO!"

Was I going to die here?

I looked at my hand. The briefcase was still nestled between my palms, and my knuckles had gone white with all the intense gripping I've done.

"RYOSUKE!"

If I was going to die, at least I'd die fighting.

I pulled out the gun.

"I am thou..."

I put the nozzle pointed at my head.

"And thou art I..."

The monster in front of me stopped advancing.

"From the sea of thy soul, I emerge..."

Something inside of me snapped. A crazed smile appeared involuntarily on my face.

"Per..."

I saw reddish brown eyes appear in front of me. They were filled with sadness, as if weighed down my expectations.

I saw myself in them. But I recognized that they belonged to one Makoto Niijima.

"So..."

Now yellow had replaced the previous pair. They were of curiosity, enthusiasm, experience... and melancholy.

Elizabeth was still out there, expecting... no, she KNEW I had the strength to go on. She might've been wrong and she might've been right, and it all hinged on this one chance.

"... Na!"

Lifeless eyes appeared in front of me, slowly being colored back to life.

Minato Arisato... the biggest influence I have never met.

I hate being your shadow in everything I do. I hate being expected to be exactly like you.

THIS DAY, I WILL BE RYOSUKE ARISATO. TODAY, I LIVE OR DIE AS MYSELF.

The trigger was pulled, and shards of glass erupted from the side of my head.

"HELEL!"

An angel appeared in front of me, summoned by words from a mouth I didn't seem to recognize.

"MORNING STAR!"

And I fell.

The darkness consumed me.

Was I dead?

...

An instant later, I woke up to white walls.

There was something black in front of me, and my nose felt itchy.

"Ah, I see you're awake now."

Chrom, is that you?

I painstakingly looked to the side of the bed where the voice came from, and I saw Akira Kurusu.

"I didn't think you had the power... but the way you used it..."

Whose voice was that?

I looked at my chest, and there were a pair of eyes on the black mass that rested their.

Was that...

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT CAT TALKING?!"

I must be dreaming. I must be on the road to hell. Was it my Persona's fault? Was Judeo-Christian Hitler the cause of my suffering?

"I'm not a cat!" The cat said.

"It's Morgana." Kurusu added.

"Am I dead? It's not my fault Helel's my Persona, right?"

The cat- I mean Morgana was shaking its head.

"You're totally fine... except for the fact that you're exhausted; so exhausted that it was actually a surprise that you woke up."

"Also, your Persona had nothing to do with your condition." Kurusu added before putting a fist to his chest. "Persona rights activist for life."

He looked so serious about it that I laughed. Then, I regretted laughing because MY STOMACH HURT LIKE HELL.

I asked for a glass of water and I drank the whole thing the moment my hands felt it.

"I think I can walk my way home now. Where's my stuff?"

"You mean your... point at your head and shoot thingy?" Akira asked.

I nodded.

"I'd rather you call it an Evoker though. Yeah, where is it?"

Akira pointed at a nearby bag.

"Hid it there to make sure staff wouldn't confiscate it. I'll just give it to you once we get outside."

I nodded.

"Thanks."

He shook his head.

"Don't thank me yet. No one's paid for the hospital bill, after all."

What a dick.

"I hope you burn in hell." I replied before coughing.

He smiled.

"I'm kidding. Ann, Ryuji, and I already split the bill. You're free to go any time."

I sighed.

"Do I owe you now?"

He shrugged.

I sighed.

"Let's just go."

I left the hospital with Akira supporting me. I still had trouble walking, but it didn't feel as bad as I thought it would be, considering what just happened.

Once we were outside, only then did I realize that the sky had turned dark.

"How long was I there?"

"About three hours."

"Wow, I must have healed fast."

"I wouldn't assume too soon, but if that's what you want to think, then feel free."

Morgana sighed.

"Or, you could just tell him that Lady Ann and I were healing him on the way."

"Well, that too." Akira grinned.

I nodded.

"Thanks, you guys. I'm sorry I couldn't say this soon enough, but you guys saved my life."

He thought for a bit before asking me.

"Would you like to help us? You have the same power as us and you've already figured out our identities, so how about it?"

I smiled.

"Sure."

Akira held out his hand to me.

"Welcome to the Phantom Thieves."

I stopped.

"YOU'RE THE PHANTOM THIEVES?!"

...

Halfway home, I told Akira that I could get to my dorm by myself. After saying goodbye, I was met by Elizabeth.

"You smell like death."

I nodded.

"I was really close to that being the case."

She frowned.

"I see... it seems your initial Persona was too strong for you."

I nodded.

"I don't think I can do much with a single-use Persona."

She put her hand on her chin as if deep I thought.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Perhaps I should give you a weaker Persona... do you have any form of currency at the moment? Yen? Macca?"

I shook my head.

"I see... How about I give you a weaker Persona that you can just pay for on a later date?"

I nodded.

"Yes, please."

She smiled before pulling out a blue leather-bound book from seemingly out of nowhere.

"Hm... how about Pixie?"

I shook my head.

"Sounds girly. What else?"

"What about Slime?"

"... It doesn't sound right. Next."

"Angel?"

"... Considering... Nah, too holy."

"... Orpheus?"

Perfect.

"Ye-"

No... Orpheus sounded TOO perfect for some reason.

"... No."

Elizabeth frowned.

"You're too picky."

"Come on, one more? Please?" I asked.

She sighed.

"Erik, the Phantom of the Opera."

I didn't know why, but I smiled. I barely knew the story, but I was interested in the character for some reason or another.

"How much?"

She looked at the book.

"You'll have to pay me back... around 7 000 yen."

Wow, that was a lot.

But that didn't stop me.

"I'll get the money soon. For now though..."

She nodded and gave me a card that showed the Phantom of the Opera.

"My, my..." Elizabeth smiled. "It seems as if you were meant to have this Persona... I shall look forward to your exploits."

I nodded.

"Just don't expect too much, okay?"

With a nod in reply, she vanished in the darkness.

One day, I'll ask her how to do that. It could come in handy now that I was a Phantom Thief of Hearts...

...

Wait.

Darn, I should've told Elizabeth about that! Oh well, there was always the next time.

I went to my dorm, closed the door, and fell on the bed with a loud thud. In a matter of seconds, my mind had left my body to wander the dreams from the oblivion that I reached for.

The next day was a Sunday, and that's when the stiff necks, the muscle pain, and the exhaustion's effects began showing.

I was sick on a weekend. I sent Akira an early text telling him that whatever we were going to do, I wasn't going to be in on it.

My body wasn't ready for anything, and I slept like a log the entire day.

I received a reply from Kurusu saying we were going to meet at the school rooftop the next day.

I did just that and there I saw the Phantom Thieves' Hideout. Their off-limits, windy, and high grounded hideout.

I opened the door.

"What's up?" I said.

Ann nodded.

"Introductions are in order. I'm Ann Takamaki, but you already know that. I also assume you've met Akira Kurusu?"

I nodded.

"Unfortunately for me."

She smiled.

"Here, we have Ryuji Sakamoto, a batch mate from a different class."

I shook his hand.

"Nice to meetcha."

I nodded.

"You too."

Ann cleared her throat.

"There's one last member. This is our cat, Morgana."

Morgana the cat pouted.

"I'm not a cat, Lady Ann. I'm a human."

I shrugged.

"Okay, so what the heck do we do?"

Akira smiled.

"Are you up for Mementos again?"

I nodded.

"Good." He replied.

Then Morgana explained someone's heart we needed to change, something about a student here bullying others.

Then, we got to work. I took the Evoker and left the briefcase at home with my bag.

The familiar red scenery washed up the whole of the subway, and I watched it with interest and curiosity.

"Come on, let's head downstairs."

There was a monster cat thing talking to me, but judging from the voice, it must've been Morgana.

I just nodded and headed downstairs with the other Phantom Thieves.

I looked at my body and I saw my clothes were different. I was wearing a long black trench coat complete with a black fedora.

"So that's your spirit of rebellion." I heard someone say from behind me.

Yep, snooping around shit I had no business with was kind of rebellious.

"Make sure you don't knock yourself out with a super strong move." Akira said.

"Sure, Kurusu."

He shook his head.

"Oh right," Morgana replied. "He doesn't know about the code names yet."

Ann nodded.

"We're Phantom Thieves, so using your real name isn't recommended."

"So do I get a nickname?" I asked.

She nodded.

"I'm Panther, Ryuji's Skull, Morgana's Mona, and Akira's Joker."

I grimaced.

"Joker sounded cool, dammit. I wonder what else..."

"Holmes?" Morgana recommended.

"No shit, Sherlock." I replied.

"What about hat? He's the only one here with a hat." Ryuji said.

"Hat is a terrible idea." I replied.

"Well? What do you want?" Akira asked.

"Can I go with Gun?" I asked.

Akira thought for a second before nodding.

"Well, your way of summoning your Persona's different, so I guess that fits."

I smiled. I was going to be Gun from now on… at least when I was being a Phantom Thief.

"Welcome aboard, Gun." Ryuji- Skull said.

I nodded.

"Let's go beat up that kid that beat up kids."

"Wait, hold up." Mona said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Since there's five of us, it might be best if one of us were to go standby while a group that consists of Joker and three others go forwards as our main group."

Hm… That did make sense.

"You mean someone stays behind?" Joker asked.

"No." Mona replied. "They'll come with, but they won't be fighting."

I nodded.

"I see what you mean. If there are too many of us at once, there'll be no backup once everyone gets tired, am I right?"

Mona nodded.

"Well, who stays behind for now, Joker?"

Joker thought for a bit.

"Well, Gun should come along for experience… Skull too in case we need a physical attacker… So, who wants to come along between you and Panther."

"Panther, you should go." Mona urged.

Panther looked surprised for a second before responding.

"Alright."

Mona jumped in the rails of the lower floor and turned into... a van.

"You're a car?!" I shouted suddenly.

"Keep it down!" Mona replied. "Shadows are nearby."

"Sorry." I said whilst climbing aboard.

We avoided confronting Shadows as much as possible as we headed to our destination.

When we finally arrived, there stood someone in their lonesome, as if even the Shadows minded their distance.

While Joker was saying his spiel, I readied my Evoker.

"… their fault for not standing up for themselves!"

The guy finally amassed a huge surge of power and transformed into what looked like a normal snow man.

"This is it?" I asked. "If he's made of snow, then we just blast him with fire-"

Panther's Agi attack hit, but it didn't do the considerable damage that I expected.

"Fire isn't effective!" Mona shouted from behind us.

"Let's hit it with everything we've got!" Joker ordered.

I summoned my Persona.

"Erik!"

Skull looked surprised.

"You have multiple Personas too?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Doesn't everyone?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"Talk less, fight more!" Mona shouted at us.

"Well, let's see what you can do!" I told my Persona. "Megido!"

The Megido attack was a bit bright, and it seemed to damage the enemy just fine, but I realized that attacks like it were kind of low risk and low reward.

In other words, they were almost never resisted, but they never were effective against anything. Also, I still looked more tired than Panther after that one attack than she did with three Agi attacks. Was it my inexperience? Or were my attacks really just more draining?

I shook my head. Fight now, think later.

Together, we pelted the enemy with waves of attacks both elemental and physical.

After an All-Out Attack, we were able to vanquish the enemy in front of us. The mass of shadows subsided, and the Shadow of the person whose heart we were trying to change remained. We learned that the guy was bullied himself into bullying others. A weird bully-ception, if you asked me.

After we took their treasure, we approached a wall inside Mementos and it opened up. Mona said we should just return another time and called it a day.

While on our way out, Joker asked me something.

"Where did you get your other Persona?"

I shrugged.

"Persona junkie; I should introduce you to her some time."

He chuckled when I said junkie, and he continued driving us out of the red world of Mementos.

…

"How was your trip?" Elizabeth asked me on my way home.

"You knew?" I asked.

"Of course I have known ever since you first told me your Persona was too strong. Where else would you have summoned it? And it looked as if you weren't inside of a Palace, so that was the strongest assumption I had."

"Wow." I replied. "Have you thought of becoming a detective?"

She shook her head and grinned.

"Again, how was your trip to Mementos?"

I shrugged.

"It was alright. I was with the people you told me about, the ones with the potential I mean."

She smiled.

"I see. Have you met the other Wild Card?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, he's one of my classmates. When he asked where I got my Personae-"

"Don't tell him about me." Elizabeth said.

"Why?" I asked.

"If it's true that the Velvet Room is under the influence of something terrible and he were to know of it, it would just put his life at stake."

"How so?"

"The Velvet Room exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. Anything on his mind could leak out, even if by accident."

… I see…

"Then it's good that I told him I got my powers from a junkie, huh?"

She looked at me curiously.

"What is this… junkie?"

I shrugged.

"Someone who gives certain things to people in a sort of black market, I guess..?"

She chuckled.

"A black market, you say? That does sound fitting for our activities."

"But what do I do now?" I asked her. "Do I just ask him about the Velvet Room?"

Elizabeth stared at the sky for a bit.

"Possibly… It might be best if you probe him instead, don't you think? Don't ask him directly, but let him leak out the knowledge he knows little by little."

"That doesn't sound half bad." I said. "I think I can pull it off."

"Best wishes." Elizabeth replied before nodding and leaving.

I chuckled. Whatever I've gotten myself into, better I just accept it right now and go on with the flow.

The next day, I was shocked to realize that the exams were just a day away. I must've slept through entire lectures and forgot all about the damn things. Forget about going with the flow, this abomination needed my undivided attention.

Honestly, I was becoming too lax about everything. I need to review the crap outta everything I missed from April. I thought about joining a review session, but everyone, including the Phantom Thieves was busy reviewing their own ways.

I picked up a textbook and painstakingly tried to memorize every word in every page of the damn thing.

Tick.

Tock.

Knock knock, said the disappointment.

Damn it, Ryosuke. Focus on your goddamn textbook.

But it's too boring.

No one cares about your problems, just read the damn thing.

The next few days flew by faster than I expected and worse than I wanted to.

I had to convince myself that Saturday would be closer than after every second.

When Saturday finally came, I was barely alive. When the exam papers finally left my desk, a little piece of me died. I met with the Phantom Thieves and vaguely recalled the contents of their talk. Something about a stalker, I believe.

I told them I was going to leave early to rest up and all I got was a nod in return. They must understand the difficulty of being thrust in an animalistic environment within the second week of class, and the difficulty of having to cope up with an extra month at the same time.

Truly, it was a taste of hell.

I can't wait to fail college.

I slept. I needed to get ready for whatever came my way, after all. Hours later, I'd read the text and find that Akira, Ryuji, and Ann were going to an art exhibit it seemed. They apologized that they didn't have a ticket for me and I replied that I didn't mind. I wasn't into arts much anyway.

My Sunday was filled with nothing but nothing. I made a mental note to make some friends before falling asleep once more. More rest meant more energy, right?

Tomorrow, the test scores were going to be posted on the bulletin board. I groaned as every waking moment made me wish I were someplace else. Makoto Niijima, I learned, was a very intelligent student. What if I could learn from her? The thought made my day.

Even when I found that I was just slightly above average (which meant my all-time low) I thought I had the perfect excuse to talk to Miss Student Council President.

I shook my head. I was going to meet with the Phantom Thieves later that afternoon, so I had to look calm and collected.

I vaguely remember them telling me something important though… something about Miss President telling them off or something?

Nah, must've been something else. I must be thinking about Makoto too much, thereby putting her in everything that happened.

It wasn't her that was stalking Akira Kurusu, right?

Anyway, off to the roof I-

"Eh?"

The Phantom Thieves were nowhere. The only one on the roof was a girl watering the plants.

"Uhm… Can I help you?" The girl asked me.

I nodded.

"Have you seen anyone pass by here?"

The moment the words left my mouth, I remembered them telling me to meet them at the Access Way in Shibuya; that place being our new Hideout.

The girl shook her head. I wanted to go to the new hideout, but I had to tell this girl something first so I wouldn't be rude.

"Do you need help with the plants?"

Oh my God did I just..? Man, I hope she says no. Please say no please say no

Please say-

"Actually, I do."

Frick, what did I get myself caught up in?

Guess there's no backing out now.

"I see…"

I sighed internally.

She stood up and smiled at me. She had a really cute smile.

"I don't think I've seen you here before. I'm Haru… Okumura, a third year. It's nice to meet you."

There was a pause between saying her first name and her last name, as if she were trying to see if I recognized her name, perhaps?

I didn't. When she realized that, I thought I heard her exhale in relief.

I reached out my hand.

"I'm Ryosuke Arisato, a second year transferee. It's nice to meet you too."

Shaking her hand and meeting her eyes, I thought this mistake wasn't so bad at all. After all, I finally had a friend outside of the Phantom Thieves, and her name was Haru Okumura.


	3. 3 In Between

Chapter 3: In Between

"There we go… we're all done!" I said, slightly heaving.

"Thanks for helping me again today, Ryosuke!" Haru said, smiling at me.

Haru and I were both on the rooftop of Shujin Academy, managing Haru's garden. It was a lot of work for two people, and I wondered how Haru managed when I wasn't around.

"Gardening is pretty tiring, isn't it?" I asked her. "Even if it was just this, it's actually pretty hefty business."

Haru shook her head. "I like doing this, so I might not feel as tired as I seem."

We both shared a laugh.

"To be honest, I never thought I'd be maintaining this garden with someone else. I guess it's a good thing though, because this was much better than I hoped it'd be." She said, staring out into the distance.

"Are you hungry?" I asked. She nodded.

"Do you want to eat with me? It's on me-"

It was at that moment that my phone started ringing. I nodded towards Haru and turned around so I wouldn't be rude.

"Hello?" I said as I answered my phone.

"We're sending the calling card tomorrow and I thought you ought to know." Ryuji Sakamoto replied from the other line.

"Do I need to be there?" I asked.

"It'd be great if you could." Ryuji answered. "Honestly, man, I'm getting really worried about you. What kinda work are they making you do there?"

"Oh, I'm actually doing my part time job for lodging purposes." I lied.

"But didn't you tell us that your tuition and lodging were already provided for ya?"

I nervously gulped. Was I found out?

"That must've been some BS, ya know? Anyway, I feel sorry for you, man. See you tomorrow, okay? Be sure you're ready."

"I will." I said before hanging up and sighing in relief.

"So Haru, about that meal…"

She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Ryosuke, but I'm heading out with my father tonight."

For a split second, I thought she frowned, but the next time I blinked, she was smiling like always.

"I see." I replied. "It's a shame. I would've thought you liked ramen."

She chuckled.

"Well, see you tomorrow!"

"I'm sorry," I said. "I don't think I'll be here tomorrow afternoon. I promised Akira and my other classmates I'd be there to hang out with them."

"Kurusu? You mean the other transfer student?" She asked.

I nodded.

"He's actually a pretty nice guy if you knew him." I replied.

She grinned.

"What about the student council president?"

My heart skipped a beat at the mention of the bane of my existence.

Makoto Niijima, the love of my fairly short conscious life.

"What about her?" I asked in reply.

Haru giggled.

"It's pretty obvious that you like her."

I shrugged.

"What gave it away?"

She smiled and mouthed "I'll tell you the next time we meet".

"Woman, come back here!"

But she already left, and I stared at the sky in disdain.

"Dammit, I need to work on my shit."

…

We met up at the museum where Madarame was showing off his works of art whilst he was holding up a threat of calling the cops on us.

"It seems he's seen our calling card." Yusuke Kitagawa, our new recruit said with a smile on his face.

Yusuke was Madarame's pupil, but along with his fellow pupils was abused and used for his talents while Madarame profited off their works.

Truly, Madarame was the scum of society.

After Yusuke got to his senses, he stuck with us and became our new teammate. He realized what kind of roof he'd been living under for the past years of his life and decided he wanted to utilize the path that he'd forge by himself.

What an upstanding dude, I like him already.

Anyway, within a few hours, we'd be delving into Madarame's palace for the last time: a fabulous museum of sorts filled with "paintings" and "art" and traps for all your favourite Phantom Thieves.

After Akira gave his nod of approval, I took my Evoker from within the far corners of my bag and joined them inside the Metaverse.

The path to the treasure was treacherous, and we had one chance of pulling it off.

Skull and Panther were going to turn off the power near the treasure while Morgana steals the treasure while he's roped to a crane courtesy of Fox (Yusuke) and lowered by Joker. I was in charge of making way for Skull and Panther once the deed was done so we could all regroup and escape through one of the windows lining the walls of the museum.

That was a mouthful, but if done correctly, the pay-out would've been really worth it.

I waited outside the room Joker operated the crane and once the lights were out, I could only hope that things were going well. I heard Skull running and I assumed a Shadow was chasing him. Quickly, we disposed of the Shadow and we were soon joined by Panther.

Together, the three of us regrouped with Joker and Fox and we set off to get Mona. Afterwards, we jumped through one of the windows and then we got through one of the huge door thingies that teleported us outside the palace.

Everything was going so well.

"Let's open the treasure!" Mona said excitedly once we were just outside the premises. We all nodded and saw that the treasure we had was not what we expected.

"Is this supposed to be Madarame's treasure?" I asked.

It was a canvas with a little doodle. Could it have been a memento from his childhood? A pupil he treasured? I wondered.

"Look out!" Fox shouted and we all got off the grass.

An electric field was erected the place where we were standing earlier. Upon closer inspection, I would have become a Ryosuke Arisato barbecue had I not jumped off the second I had.

I heard a sinister laugh from somewhere and saw Shadow Madarame along with two security Shadows. One of the said shadows was holding a canvas, though we couldn't see it from the angle we were in.

Madarame kept talking about how students of his were mere tools for him to leech off of. Their works were his sustenance and their hard work his triumph over them.

Truly, he was a despicable living being. In front of us, he transformed into four paintings: two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. His attacks were in quantities, but they were inferior versions of the attacks we had. Soon enough, we had him on his knees begging for forgiveness.

Despite being the first major heist I've appeared in, I felt it was less engaging for me as much as it brought Yusuke to the edge. It was his fight, not mine. I was there in the background to support him, but I made sure to steer clear off his path.

A few days later…

So much time had passed, but I barely felt time pass at all. The world seemed so surreal, so different from how I used to picture it, that my mind was unable to distinguish what was happening and what was not…

"Ryosuke, is something wrong? You've been spacing out again."

I wiped my eyes and stared at the others. We were in Akira's attic prison, and we were about to eat hot pot.

"It's nothing. I think I'm just hungry for some hot pot, eh?"

Ryuji smiled.

"Heh, it looks like someone speaks my language. Come on, let's eat already!"

With that, we started eating while discussing various topics. After we finished, I eyed at the walls surrounding me and I felt almost at home with these people. I felt so at home, that I felt my eyelids get heavy and I was tempted to fall off my chair and sleep on the floor.

In fact, it didn't sound like a bad idea. The old folks say it was never a good idea to sleep right after eating, but I think they're just full of crap.

"Ryosuke, you're staring at the floor so much I'm afraid you're about to make out with it."

I yawned and looked at my friends.

"Sorry, I've just been thinking a lot lately."

Yeah… this Persona business, the existence of the metaverse, changing the hearts of people, Elizabeth changing how I lived my life, Makoto changing the way I saw my life, and hot pot are all so much to take in.

"I see where you're coming from." Yusuke replied. "Sometimes, I also space out and think of such topics in my mind."

"Well, you better not be thinking about what could've happened if Lady Ann stripped in front of you." Morgana groaned.

"Morgana!" Ann said sharply, scaring the cat into hiding under its paws.

Akira, Ryuji, and I were laughing while Yusuke avoided everyone's gaze.

After the laughter died down, Yusuke spoke.

"Okay, enough of that line of conversation. Truth is, I'm really curious about your stories and what lead to you becoming a Phantom Thief. You all know my story by now, being used as a pawn by Madarame and all."

We all went quiet as everyone else decided to share their experience.

Ann started off her reason.

"My friend Shiho and I… we were being sexually harassed by this teacher in our school. His name's Kamoshida. I didn't notice him being more aggressive towards Shiho until she… until she jumped off the building. I swore to myself I'd never be so helpless anymore… that I'd do everything I can to keep monsters like Kamoshida away from the people I cared about."

After she was done, she laid on the couch.

*yawn* "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm thinking of falling asleep right now. Nobody do anything funny, alright?"

I grinned. "If I danced like an idiot in front of everyone, would that be considered funny?"

"On second thought, I won't be sleeping. I'll stay awake so I can smash your teeth in if you say another stupid thing, alright?!"

Ryuji, Yusuke, and Akira all snickered while I just shrugged it off.

"Ryosuke, you are truly a piece of idiocy." Morgana said.

After a few moments of more snickering, Ryuji spoke.

"So, I think I'll go ahead and go next. My dad used to beat me and my mother up, and I'm pretty happy that he's gone now. But there's also a part of me that's guilty about my mom raising me all by herself… It only got worse after I was taken off the track team because I got so damn pissed at that stupid Kamoshida. I was so ashamed of how my mom had such an unruly kid like me, and I thought I'd make a change. I want to rid the world of stupid adults trying to take advantage of people around them!"

After that, Ryuji lied on his chair.

"Well, that's the end of my story. Anyone want to go next?"

I nodded, looking at all the others.

"I guess I'm next." I sighed.

 _You can't tell them about Elizabeth._

Yes, I was fully conscious of that reason, self.

 _It's not like you didn't have a reason either- look into yourself._

Yes, I'm trying, self.

"Ryosuke?" Morgana asked.

I cleared my throat.

"It all started when my adopted older brother Minato died."

Brother?

 _Right, he became my older brother after his parents died right around the time I was born._

"He died of mysterious circumstances back when I was when I was almost ten years old. Ever since, things haven't been the same ever again. While my parents kind of supported me, they couldn't help comparing me from my big brother. In fact, most of my relatives compared me to him, and there was a part of me that thought I couldn't live up to him. He was the perfect child, and I was just a little bit above average."

 _That's it, let it all out._

Where am I getting all this?

"Without actually being there anymore, my life still hinges on his existence and the overwhelming pressure it put on me. I don't blame him, though. I…"

 _I just…_

I just?

"I just want my big brother back, but I know that's not happening."

I thought I was trying to escape from the expectations that bound me? I'm not sure myself.

"A few months ago, my parents thought of transferring me here. Along the way, I found Minato's Evoker stashed somewhere and…"

I trailed off. Somehow, I was beginning to give myself an actual reason to go here, and albeit unconsciously, I was able to establish a relationship between this world and the metaverse.

"You use it to summon Personas now, right? In other words, maybe your big brother was a Persona user and you want to know the truth along with us, is that correct?" Akira intervened.

I nodded.

"Yeah, and I think that along the way, I might find out how and why Minato died. Along the way, maybe I'll find some closure about it."

After I said that, I realized how tense I was while I sat. My mouth felt dry and it occurred to me that I spoke the whole time with barely a breath to stop. Never had I revealed so much of myself to anyone for so long.

And… I felt so ashamed forcing myself to forget one of the reasons why I joined.

After a couple of moments, Akira nodded for his turn.

"The real reason why I came here… It was like an ordinary evening, and I was heading home from school early that day. While walking home, I heard a woman scream for help and I rushed to the situation."

Akira looked increasingly discomforted every second that passed by as he relived his memory. A part of me felt sorry for him, and I wanted to tell him to stop, but I let him continue on because I was curious to hear the next part of his story.

"When I got to the scene, I saw a bald, middle-aged man trying to harass a woman. First, I called the cops and I then had the intention of putting myself between the woman and her assailant. That was my mistake, because the man injured himself in his surprised to my appearance. With a heated gaze, he looked me in the eye and told me he would sue me."

He gulped.

"Then, he forced the woman to fabricate a story of me assaulting him instead of what was really happening, and I was promptly arrested and put on probation. Because of my criminal record, I was expelled from my school and I was forced to scour the country for an institution that would take me in. Shujin was the only institution willing to take me in, and that's where I am now."

A few moments of silence was broken by Ryuji.

"That's bullshit!"

Yusuke nodded.

"I agree. To be arrested after saving someone, and to be testified against the very same person you saved… despicable."

Akira sighed.

"Yeah… it's frustrating."

I stood from my seat.

"That's some high quality bullshit. Our justice system is flawed and we should… screw it, I'm mad."

"I know, yeah? Those stinkin' adults taking advantage of the youth- to hell with that!" Ryuji replied.

Ann was also visibly infuriated.

"That is just so wrong! You didn't deserve what you got, and it's just so… ugh!"

Morgana nodded.

"I understand where you're all coming from, and this is precisely the reason why the world needs the Phantom Thieves!"

Akira smiled.

"Thank you, guys. I'm glad you all understand what I'm going through."

I smiled.

"Yeah, man. We're going to keep at it, and we're going to try to fix this damn place!"

With cries of triumph, our conversation went from our next plan of attack to random discussions about things. It was about an hour in when I realized it was getting late.

"Guys, I think it's getting pretty late. We should probably get going."

After that, we packed our things and left Akira in his attic prison.

I am never going to get tired of calling his room an attic prison.

And I never thought that one day I'd try to threaten a gang leader by shooting myself in the head.


	4. 4 Pigs Fly

Chapter 4: Pigs Fly

"I was walking at the corridor and I passed by her, so I put up my hand and said, 'hey'. She smiled and said, 'hey… Arisato, was it? I heard you're getting along well with both students and teachers. Keep up the good work.' And I think a part of me just wouldn't stop screaming after that! You think it mean something?"

Haru shook her head.

"Ryosuke, I think you're just overreacting a bit. It would be really sad if I put your hopes up and turns out she just liked you as a friend, am I right?"

I deflated.

"Yeah… I guess."

She put a hand on my shoulder.

"Just don't get your hopes up, okay? That way, you won't fall too hard if it doesn't work out."

I grunted sadly in reply.

"I guess… Anyway, it looks like we should go home soon. It's almost dark."

Haru looked around as she put down her pail.

"You're right. I guess I just got caught up with watering the plants and listening to you talk about Makoto a lot that I didn't quite notice the time pass by."

I shrugged.

"See you tomorrow?"

She nodded.

Afterwards, we said our goodbyes and walked our separate ways.

Along the way, I saw Elizabeth and I smiled once more.

"Ah, Arisato-"

I grabbed her shoulders in excitement.

"Elizabeth, there's something I HAVE to tell you right now!"

She seemed interested, so I told her about meeting Makoto at the corridor.

"So? What do you think? Do I have a shot with her?"

Elizabeth blinked a few times before smiling.

"So this is how one expresses their… excitement over the one they are attracted to? Yet…"

"Yet?" I asked.

"Your emotional response is different from others. Could it be that this is the first time you've fallen in love? In that case, I can only assume you lead quite a lonely life until now. I am sorry for your childhood."

Then she proceeded to shake her head as if she were genuinely feeling sorry for me.

"Hey!" I replied. "What the heck does that mean?"

She giggled before facing me again.

"Perhaps we can discuss this another time. In few days' time, I will meet someone here. Would you tell me where this 'Tech Heaven' is located?"

"They probably meant Akihabara." I replied. "I didn't know you had friends to meet. Or are they like you… you know..?"

Elizabeth wondered.

"Like me? Residents of the Velvet Room, you mean? I'll have you know that I have friends outside it too, or do you not consider me a friend?"

I shook my head.

"Of course I do. It's just… unexpected to see you just walking around with a couple of friends that aren't from this Velvet Room or something."

She smiled.

"Of course, I have met many people in my travels outside the Velvet Room, and a few of which were even there for our services."

I nodded. I was a bit interested to think about other Persona users like me, but I realized how late it was getting.

"I'm going to go home now, if you don't mind. Bye, Elizabeth."

She waved farewell and I ran to my room immediately.

I was happy, and I had my thoughts and my dreams to keep me company. If only I weren't so ignorant…

Days Later…

I was with the group in our hideout in the access way when Akira Kurusu arrived with someone familiar.

Instantly, jealousy welled within me and I felt my shoe tapping the floor a lot. Ryuji, Ann, and Yusuke looked on in shock though.

"What's going on?" Yusuke asked.

Makoto smiled at us.

"So these are the Phantom Thieves I've heard about-"

"ARE YOU TWO DATING?!"

Everyone looked at me, surprised.

I held up my hands. "Sorry, I couldn't help but ask."

Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, and Akira all couldn't help but face palm. Makoto just rolled her eyes.

"I didn't expect Arisato to be here as well, although I've had suspicions about the other three. Ryuji Sakamoto and Ann Takamaki were both victims of Kamoshida. Yusuke Kitagawa was the student of Madarame. Both Kamoshida and Madarame are now behind bars thanks to the Phantom Thieves of Heart, and I can see my suspicions were correct."

Did she just avoid my question?

"So… is that a yes or a no?" I asked again.

Yusuke tapped my shoulder.

"Ryosuke, I think that's enough."

Makoto sighed.

"We aren't dating, okay? And I've had my eyes on you all after a certain incident."

Makoto took her phone and played a recording. It was Ryuji shouting about being a Phantom Thief.

"Shit…" I heard Ryuji mutter under his breath.

Ann smacked the back of Ryuji's head.

"You idiot! This is what happens when you can't keep your mouth shut!"

Ryuji apologized and Makoto smirked.

"I'll have to report you all… unless you can do something for me."

We all looked at her, curiously.

"Some of our students have been mixed up in some… terrible mess. Drug trafficking if we're being specific and I need your help finding out who's the perpetrator."

"Just so you could steal the glory and get your recommendation letter? To hell with that!" Ann said in reply.

Yusuke shook his head.

"Loathe as I may, we cannot let her expose our identities."

Akira nodded.

"Yeah, we're going to have to help her with this."

Makoto smiled, awfully pleased with herself.

"Good, that takes care of-"

"But remember this, Miss Student Council President." Ann cut her off. "You weren't there when Kamoshida was making life hell for us students. You were practically useless, so we don't expect much from you right now either."

Makoto flinched. I instantly felt the need to defend her.

"Ann, that's enough."

"It's fine." Makoto said, and we all turned to her in surprise. She looked down, however, and I realized she must've been hiding her emotions deep inside.

"Just meet me at the Central Station tomorrow. If you bail out on me, I won't hold back in reporting you." Makoto continued before turning and leaving hastily.

"Well, I guess we're going to have to help her." Akira said, scratching his head.

"I don't like where this is going." Morgana said, popping out of Akira's bag.

"Indeed. And now, it seems we will have to work with her." Yusuke said.

"Damn it!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"It probably won't be THAT bad, right?" I asked.

Everyone looked at me, some probably glaring.

"Right." I said at last. "It'll probably suck."

And suck it did as we spent the next few days looking for leads to where the supposed drug trades may be happening. Me? I was just chilling around the theatres because I knew nothing worth talking about was going to happen my way.

Also, gossip was pretty heavy around the theatre and that's where I looked for information. At least, that's what I told the others.

Understandably, we found nothing.

Well, we DID find out the boss's name. (It's Kaneshiro) Also, we almost ditched Ryuji into a world he wanted nothing to do with.

Anyway…

"The place Kaneshiro thinks of as a bank is… all of Shibuya." Yusuke said as we input the code words into the metaverse application.

"Wow… he really is messed up." Akira said.

"Everyone's like a walking ATM to him!" Ann said. "How despicable."

We entered the metaverse and… Ann was right, pretty much. Everyone was a walking ATM machine.

While walking around Shibuya, we saw a couple of broken ATM people.

"I guess… if you're a broken ATM machine, you're a broke person?" I asked.

"Bro, too soon?" Skull said.

"What? I'm actually serious for once!" I replied.

Joker shook his head.

"We're looking for information, guys. Best we go ask around now."

After a few moments of walking around and unsuccessfully asking the ATM people, we found that we could not find the palace.

"Well, that wasn't helpful." Ryuji sighed.

"I know, right?" I replied. "It's like you can't find the thing on the face of the Earth!"

"Maybe you can't." Joker said.

"Gee, thanks for support, bro."

"That's not what I meant. Look up."

He pointed at the sky and…

The good news is, we found the palace.

The bad news is, we can't REACH the palace.

"Wow, pigs really DO fly." I said. "Morgana, please turn into a helicopter."

"No." He replied.

"Do you run on gasoline, or diesel?" I asked.

"I run on tuna- hey! I said I CAN'T turn into a helicopter! And we need to find a way to get there!"

"I'm trying."

We ended up having to go home without any leads as to how we could get there.

Well, until Makoto was dragged by a couple of suspicious men inside a car.

"What the heck is that woman thinking?!" Ryuji said as we got a taxi to follow her.

Soon enough, we were now in the shady part of the city. Barely any people were walking here, there were a couple of broken windows here and there, and all eyes were on to us after we left the taxi.

"Well, it couldn't get any worse, right?" I asked the others.

"Ryosuke." Akira said. "It's MY job to make the terrible jokes. Also, it's most likely going to get even worse."

I sighed.

"I was trying to avoid that thought, thank you very much."

"Shush!" Ann told the both of us and we stopped.

We entered a door and there we saw Makoto…

"What'd you do to her!" Ryuji said.

"You got followed, you dumb shits!" Kaneshiro said. I assumed mostly because he was the biggest, fattest, most disgusting man in the room. Also, he was the only one taking a seat.

Kaneshiro decided to then show his money in all its glory by opening his briefcase to show a fuckton of money.

"That's a fuckton of money." I whispered.

"Shut up." Morgana said.

"I'm royally pissed right now." Kaneshiro said. "Don't you know spending money relieves stress?"

"Actually, spending money stresses me out more." I answered. I then got treated to my friends all nudging me.

"Shut up, Arisato."

"Don't make this any worse!"

"You're starting to piss me off, kid!" Kaneshiro said. "As I was saying… if you don't pay me back three million yen in three weeks, I'll share this picture to everyone."

He then showed us the screen of his phone, and it showed us all in his hideout.

"I'll call it 'Debauchery of Minors at a club'."

I held my briefcase a little tighter. This asshole was starting to piss me off.

"Oh, some cigarettes and some drugs where there too. It would be a real shame if people were to see this."

"You wouldn't dare. To hell with that!" Ryuji said.

"Not now, Ryuji! For now, the safety of Makoto is our priority." Yusuke said in reply.

I know a way how to save her and get back at these assholes at the same time.

I looked at my briefcase.

I could do it right now.

I could send these assholes to hell.

"I agree with Ryuji." I said, trying to look as threatening as possible. "To hell with that!"

I opened my briefcase and put the evoker on my head.

Makoto looked shocked; her beautiful eyes were wide and fearful.

Kansehiro looked more reserved, but surprised nonetheless.

"What are you going to do, shoot yourself?"

I smirked.

"I'm going to send you all and this place to hell!" I shouted, a crazed look in my face.

"Ryosuke, what the hell, man?!" Ryuji said.

"I'm going to make sure your fat ass doesn't leave this fucking place alive! I'll kill you all right now and make sure the devil is the last thing you ever see!"

I held the trigger. Now was the time to do this.

"Per… so…"

*smack*

And everything went black.

What the hell were you trying to do, Ryosuke?!

I thought I was doing the right thing.

Were you out of your mind?! We're Phantom Thieves, not killers!

I guess I was pretty out of my mind. The bastard was pissing me off-

Wake up!

"Wake up!"

I sat up and saw the others looking down at me.

"What the hell, Ryosuke?!" Ryuji said.

I looked around. We were outside the club and it looked like they put back my Evoker back into my briefcase.

I looked at Makoto, but she wouldn't look back.

I…

"I fucked up. I'm sorry. I was just… I…"

I looked at all of them again.

Akira looked really disappointed.

Ann was shaking her head.

Ryuji was sighing.

Yusuke was looking at me with contempt.

Morgana glared at me.

Makoto was the first to try talking to me.

"Ryosuke… they told me what you were trying to do… and I know you thought you were trying to do the right thing, but… you just…"

Akira finished her sentence.

"I'm sorry, but you kinda made it worse."

No…

No..!

It's my fault! I fucked it up!

I felt something hot streaming down my face and realized I was crying.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry."

Yusuke sighed.

"Ryosuke, we forgive you. But, you need to-"

I couldn't stop myself from getting up and running away.

"Ryosuke, wait!"

But I ran to the nearest taxi and told him to drive off. Guilt, anger, fear, and dread were too much for me right now.

"What got into me..?"

The taxi driver spoke.

"You're probably just having a rough time, kid. Where to?"

I thought of the first place that came to mind.

"Akihabara."

The taxi driver brought me there and I walked in a daze. I thought, maybe the shops would cheer me up and stop the rapid beating in my chest.

I have never felt so much pain in my heart.

"Minato?!"

I heard someone from behind me. In my surprise, I momentarily forgot my troubles and found myself staring at grey-ish green eyes.

"I'm sorry, I must have been mistaken." The woman said. She was wearing a white colored sundress with sleeves.

"You know about my cousin, Minato?" I asked her.

She looked at me with surprise.

"Yes, I do… I see…"

I meant to ask her why, but a sob came up just as I was about to speak.

"Oh, are you alright?" She asked.

I nodded.

"I'm managing." I said, wiping my face with my sleeves.

She shook her head and brought me to a nearby bench.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Fuuka Yamagishi. You are?"

"Ryosuke Arisato." I answered.

"Nice to meet you, Ryosuke. Is it alright if I asked you if there was anything wrong?"

I shook my head.

"I just…"

I then noticed she was staring at my briefcase.

"Do you know this briefcase?" I asked her.

"Yes, it was given to Minato and I… and a couple of others." She answered.

But that would mean…

"You know Persona?!" I asked her. She smiled at me.

"I see… You truly are Minato's cousin. Or should I say little brother?"

I looked at her, shocked.

"Does he… did he talk about me?"

Fuuka nodded.

"He was very fond of you. He told me you used to emulate him quite well back in the day."

I shared a small smile.

"In fact, you look like quite the splitting image of him right now, besides your slightly longer hair."

I laughed.

"Yeah, I guess."

I scratched my head and we both shared a silence of about a few minutes.

"By the way… how did you meet Minato?" I asked her.

She blushed slightly.

"He was a rather popular school mate… and he saved me."

I snickered.

"He must have been quite the hero."

She nodded. Then, she stared at the sky as if the memories were up there in the clouds.

He was a hero… Meanwhile, I…

I couldn't do the right things like he did. I couldn't save Makoto…

And I fucked up at a crucial moment.

What the hell are you good for, Ryosuke?!

"Ryosuke, is anything wrong?"

I shook my head and found myself staring at Fuuka's eyes once more.

"I messed up and got my friends in trouble. I want to know how I could fix my mistake, but it looks as if it's too big for me to fix."

Fuuka smiled.

"Then you start trying to fix it now, Ryosuke. Keep at it until you've fixed it all. It's not wrong to ask help from others either. Minato always said he couldn't have done what he does if it weren't for the people around him, and I keep his words to heart."

I nodded.

"You must have loved him so much if you could remember something from so long ago."

She smiled.

"I do."

I stood up and thanked her for her time. Before I left, we got each other's phone number in case I needed someone to talk to and I thanked her again.

I think… I think talking to her helped me come to terms with things. I thought she would have been a great older sister.

I'm not going to run away from things anymore.

The very next day, I met the others at our hideout.

"How are you feeling, Gun?"

I bowed my head.

"I'm sorry for what I did yesterday, and I promise to make it all up by helping with taking Kaneshiro's treasure."

Akira smiled.

"Good. You can start today."

I looked up.

"What do you mean?"

"We all started yesterday, see. You missed Makoto when she awakened to her Persona."

I looked at the others, then I looked at Makoto, then I looked at myself.

Fuck.

* * *

A/N

So this is my new story for Persona 5. It was made a few months ago, but I've only ever gotten to sharing it a few days ago. This A/N may come a bit late, but I hoped I could find the right words before writing them here for days gone by.

It's not a Self-Insert story like my others, but there being an OC to give the first-person commentary, I believe it's still quite like a Self-Insert..? Although I hope you will all like Ryosuke Arisato as I believe having a character related to the perfect player character in the Persona games could make things interesting.

Anyway, I thank you for tuning in, whoever is reading this. Thank you, and you've made my day. Thank you for taking the time to read until the fourth chapter and I thank you so much in my journey to learn how to write.

All kinds of responses are appreciated... well, mostly constructive criticisms, but again, any response will do.

I'm open for suggestions on how to run the story, although there will be some events set in stone that I will have to follow.

Before I forget, my schedule for making the next chapters will be quite irregular, but hopefully not too far apart. I will make sure this story gets major priorities like my grades depend on it. (Okay, maybe not too much, but maybe something close?)

A big shout out to ARSLOTHES and Blood on my Machete for their reviews! Also, to answer your question, Helel might come back later on, but he will not be Ryosuke's Ultimate Persona.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to read this, and have a wonderful day!


	5. 5 Breaking Bank

Chapter 5: Breaking Bank

The night before...

When I got home after talking to Fuuka, I knew there was something I had to do.

I reached into the secret pocket of my bag and pulled out an old album I've only just discovered a few nights ago. Mom probably put this here before I left.

I opened the album and saw my whole family smiling at me. Minato in particular was showing a rare smile on his face as he held my infant self in his arms.

I stood up and walked to the mirror, comparing my face to his.

Despite just being cousins, I never realized how alike we were until now: the way he cut his hair, the shape of his face, the way he always had headphones hanging on his neck...

 _Probably even the way he held his Evoker to his head to summon his Persona..._

I shook my head and forced a smile, as if pictures could see me staring back at them.

I've become a lot like Minato without noticing it.

Perhaps I HAVE noticed, but tried to forget.

Why, though?

 _Because he's gone now. He didn't come back like he said he would. Children have a hard time accepting that._

I put down the album and looked at myself in the mirror. For a split second, I thought yellow eyes stared back at me. When I blinked, I saw that my eyes were normal and I sighed at the thought of my mind playing tricks on me.

I need to sleep.

The next morning...

I checked the messages on my phone earlier and saw that the others were ready to infiltrate Kaneshiro's palace again. They were asking me if I was going to be alright and I told them I was.

I probably had a lot of explaining to do soon.

Waiting for the train to come by, a familiar looking brown-haired guy walked towards me.

"Ah, I met you at the studio, yes? You're from Shujin, if I remember correctly. You are a friend of Akira Kurusu, whom I had the pleasure of talking to?"

Goro Akechi smiled at me as he held his briefcase with his left hand and offered to shake with his other. I took his hand, although a part of me was a bit skeptical.

"I'm Ryosuke Arisato." I replied nonchalantly. I didn't like making conversations long if I could afford to do so, or if I just wasn't feeling like it.

Akechi nodded.

"I guess an introduction's in order, even if it's just for formality's sake. I'm Goro Akechi. It's nice to meet you."

He sounded nice and he was certainly not bad to look at.

But he was on to something. And the thing that gave him away was...

 _Pancakes..._

Soon, we boarded our respective trains. I made a mental note to apologize later on, preferably at the hideout so as to not bring it up out of the blue and attract attention.

At the palace...

I looked at the Evoker in my hand before looking at Makoto.

"How does Rook sound to you?"

She shook her head as Skull sighed.

"Seriously? You pick a chess piece and it's Rook?"

I looked at him, bewildered.

"What's wrong with Rook? It's always visualized as the most durable piece... despite the queen always being the jack of all trades... Now that I think about it, why IS the queen a JACK of all trades?"

Joker scratched his head.

"If we're talking chess pieces, why not just Queen, then?"

Everyone nodded and I had to admit, it did make sense.

"That name is so perfect I'm almost speechless." Mona said, surprised.

"I guess that works", Makoto/Queen said.

"Welcome to the party, Queen." Joker said, showing off his infuriatingly handsome smile.

What the hell, Kurusu? I'm already fine with my sexuality, thank you very much.

"Heh, when are we getting a King, then? Am I right?" I joked. Nobody laughed. I kept walking.

While walking, I tried to walk beside Queen and pretended not to stare at her when Joker looked at me.

"Gun, you're taking the bench today with Skull and Mona. Everyone else, let's go."

I nodded. I was disappointed that I wasn't going to be able to show off my talents to Queen, but whatever Joker said was set in stone.

Even if I didn't like it.

"Cheer up, man. We're running back up anyway!" Skull smiled underneath his mask. I gave him a small smile and followed him to the entrance of the Palace.

...

"So what was up with you last time? I ain't gonna judge." Skull said as he walked back and forth in front of the entrance.

I shook my head and shrugged.

"I guess bad business just isn't my thing. Some people work hard to get money, you know?" I replied, not wanting to tell them that Queen was the first thing on my mind.

 _Gods, whoever you are... Please don't let her die._

"Why? Are you from a business-y family?" Mona asked.

I nodded.

"I guess I am. My dad's a businessman... and I guess I just hate it when honest people have to work harder than the people who lie and cheat and stuff... and what they tried to do with Makoto-"

I cut myself off. It was enough to give them a few truths, I guessed, as long as I beat around the bush and keep to myself what shall not be discussed.

"Well said!" Mona interjected with his eyes full of determination. "We may be thieves, but we're Phantom Thieves! A real gentleman knows how to treat a woman, not run her over like yesterday's leftover tuna! You should learn to be a lot more like Gun, Skull!"

Skull sighed.

"Why did you have to bring me into this? It's not like I'm a slob when it comes to girls. I didn't do nothing wrong."

Mona shook his head.

"That's where you're wrong! You have to keep believing that what you're doing isn't enough! That way, you'll keep getting better! Right now, you're so stale that it isn't even funny!"

Skull walked towards Mona with a glare.

"Why do I have to take advice from a cat, huh?!" he said, pointing at Mona with annoyance.

"I'm not a cat."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

I raised a hand. "Guys, don't you think it's funny that we don't go to the bathroom inside the Meta-verse?"

They both looked at me like they couldn't believe what I just said. I couldn't either, but it was better than hearing them argue anyway.

"Heh, you're right. I don't feel like I gotta use the bathroom here." Skull said in agreement.

"That's because you GO to the bathroom BEFORE going to the Meta-verse, Skull. Of course you don't have to pee when you've already done it!"

My god... are these two ever gonna stop? I sighed as I watched the two bicker again, wondering how well my day could have been if I had just been with the rest of the team.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Kurusu..." I whispered under my breath. He was our leader, and I had to believe in his strength. Then again, waiting was just so... unbearable.

So unbearable...

By the time we heard of the location of the next safe room, ten minutes of waiting seemed like hours with Skull and Mona not shutting up. I like these two as people, but damn can they be annoying when they're together!

We found Joker and the others at the safe room, and my eyes immediately went to check on a certain brunette. I waved at Queen, and she waved back.

"How was it?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"It was alright. I've been meaning to ask you, though."

I gulped and hoped this was what I thought it was. If nothing else, I hoped it wasn't going to be something bad or something annoying or... I hope I didn't do anything wrong.

"How does your Evoker work? When the Meta-verse notices the guns that we have, it normally takes them realistically, bullets and all. However, when you shoot your Evoker, it doesn't hurt you like it would a normal gun. Why?"

I was completely caught off guard because I didn't expect her to ask that. As far as I remembered, Joker was the only person in the whole team to point that out before.

"Well... I have to make the person whose cognition I'm entering KNOW that it isn't a real gun, for starters." I replied.

Makoto looked confused for a little while before nodding.

"I see... so the stunt you pulled yesterday wasn't really much of a stunt, was it? When you pulled out your gun and threatened to... shoot yourself? I still didn't get that part, although Joker shooting at Kaneshiro and proving that it wasn't an actual gun was part of a plan? I'm really impressed, Gun."

I nodded, despite not actually doing half of what she just said. It was more like a lucky coincidence more than anything that Joker (thank the bastard from the heavens) was able to make it look like a fake.

"I remember you having to cause quite a scene at Madarame's exhibit, now that I remember. You showed off your Evoker to one of the security guards and got Madarame's attention, am I right?" Fox said, a knowing smile on his face.

"Yeah, it kinda looked awkward, but he was able to show Madarame that his Evoker wasn't a real gun hence how it didn't shoot him in the head while summoning his Persona." Panther replied with a finger on her cheek.

"Oh! So that's why he was screaming and stuff at the exhibit! I get it now!" Skull chuckled at his discovery.

"Yeah, but you should've known about it before then if only you paid attention, idiot." Mona retorted.

"Enough with the bickering and let's get down to business." Joker said with a commanding voice, getting Skull and Mona to shut up.

I guess I know why he's the leader now.

"Gun and Skull will be replacing Fox and Panther after this, okay? You two deserve a rest after sustaining heavy hits from fire and ice respectively. Gun and Skull, I expect you to do your bests. Mona, I'll trust you with navigation just like always for now, okay?"

I smiled and looked at Queen, who just nodded in return.

"All right, I finally got my chance to shine! Sucks to be you, Mona."

I knew another argument was going to brew if nobody stopped Skull and Mona, so I got between them.

"Okay, let's all go to our places now. Queen, what's the Shadow Factorization like?"

It was nice trying to feel like I had authority, even for a little while as I dragged Skull away, talked to Queen without my heart jumping like a kid on too much sugar, and got a nod of approval from Joker.

 _Focus, Ryosuke. Don't get too carried away with yourself or you'll lose whatever semblance you had of yourself._

Right you are, Ryosuke. Don't scare off the Niijima.

We went through the whole palace, sticking to the shadows and fighting... shadow dogs. Regular shadows still existed, but I still couldn't wrap my head around the shadow dogs being better at being shadows than regular shadows were at being shadows.

Along the way, we were caught up with Shadow Kaneshiro, who escaped like a bad guy would: an elevator.

Okay, maybe not like a bad guy. Maybe like a guy who needed the bathroom?

Anyway, we took the elevator after beating some of the goons and we were what looked like a giant bank vault; or rather a giant KEYHOLE.

"If you only really show off the lack of authenticity of the Evoker to the ones whose palaces you enter, how can you use the Evoker in Mementos?" Queen asked me after we opened the second lock in the giant keyhole.

I tried not to talk about her so much for the past few minutes just so I could focus and (probably) look cool in front of her, but I guess I became so silent that her words shook me awake and made my head spin.

"W-wha... oh, right! Mementos, uh..."

Brilliant, Ryosuke. Truly a comprehensible sentence, I daresay.

Makoto looked at me with her reddish brown (or was it brownish red? I guess she just got me so confused) eyes behind her metallic-looking mask, curious. She almost reminded me of a cat, carefully watching things through...

I tried to smile just to make it look like I thought of something.

"Honestly, I'm not sure myself. My guess is if Mementos had EVERYONE's consciousness, it would also probably have the consciousness of the people who originally owned these Evokers? Add to the fact that they were Persona users too... Honestly, I'm in the dark about it myself. I'm going to ask my... Persona junkie about it."

Yeah... I think Elizabeth could help me a lot more than any other person could; at least, in regards to this.

"Persona junkie?"

"Tell you later."

It took me a while to realize this was probably the longest conversation I've ever had with Makoto.

Oh wait, she was supposed to be Queen, wasn't she? I REALLY have to get used to the name change.

"Earth to Gun, hello?"

"Leave him, Panther. He's probably thinking of some good strategies for our fight against Kaneshiro, am I right, Gun?"

Joker snapped his fingers in front of me and I was out of my daze.

"Yeah! You can count on me..? Me!"

When we left the Palace and I painstakingly had to stop myself from walking Makoto home, I went to my bed and looked at myself.

 _After the storm comes the rainbow._

No...

 _Overcompensation._

* * *

A/N

Belated Happy Holidays to everyone!

Than you for reading this story until this point. I planned for this chapter to set up some plot points that'll be important later in the story, so I hope it makes up for shorter length. I'm going to make this story my main focus for now (which may not be saying much since I can't write on most days anyway), but hopefully, it'll update more frequently than my other stories.

For my other story, Post Game, I'm afraid it may take a while for the next chapter to be uploaded since I'm still not 100% sure where the story's headed; whether it goes with a more comedic approach or a more tragic one.

Please leave a review if you liked the story, and tell me about things I could improve upon. I'd like to hear your opinions and I'll try my best not to get offended. (I jest, just keep the constructive criticism coming!)

Anyways, have a wonderful holiday and may the new year be better than the last!


	6. 6 Wet Fireworks

**Chapter 6: Wet Fireworks**

"Pigs really DO fly!" I joked as Kaneshiro flew above with his wings and… well, he was a fly. He did fly things.

 _Ryosuke, how many times have you made that "pigs fly" joke?_

Shut up, me. I don't hear anyone else complaining.

"Gun, we've heard that joke before. Can't you fight in silence?" Makoto—I mean Queen said from behind me. God, she was cute when she was angry.

"Erik! Hit them with a Megidola!" I shouted, summoning my Persona with the sound of breaking glass from the side of my head. The attack hit Kaneshiro straight to the face and I managed to not convulse with joy at the sound of my attack hitting the criminal.

"Heads up!"

Skull slammed a powerful Zionga at Kaneshiro. The impact of the attack brought Kaneshiro down, and we gathered to hit him with an

"ALL- OUT ATTACK!"

I slammed my fist at Kaneshiro's face. God, did it feel so good to hit the piece of crap. For good measure, I hit him with another one, and another one, and another one…

After a few more hits, Kaneshiro threw us off him and started buzzing. The bank vault behind him then started transforming into a… giant metal pig.

 _It's like what happens when, instead of the Dinobots, the Transformers had a whole team full of farm animals as transformers. Then, imagine this giant transforming pig that rolled around to crush you…_

What's wrong with me today?

So we battled this pig… thing. This wasn't weird at all… Of course it was freaking weird. I had no idea how everything worked anymore, and I had a gun that gave me powers instead of giving me a hole in my head.

"Gun, I'll throw you up there so you can hit Kaneshiro!"

Skull summoned his persona and made a batting motion with his arms.

I shrugged. "You sure this'll work?"

He smiled.

"Trust me."

I didn't, but hell if I had any other ideas. What else was I going to do, keep hitting the metal pig thing?

Probably.

"Do it, Gun. We'll hold the purple bastard down here." Joker said with a smile before summoning his persona and throwing a massive attack.

I stood in front of Skull and waited for imminent impact.

3… 2… 1…

*SMACK*

"GO GET 'EM, GUN!"

I opened my eyes and then I realized I should've kept them closed. The reason?

I also realized I was scared of heights.

 _This was a bad idea. This was a bad idea. This was—_

Focus, head! Aim for the fat purple fly guy over the metal pig thing and—

Why do I hear a motorcycle whirring? Queen? Where was she?

"WHAT THE HELL, GUN?! YOU MISSED KANESHIRO!"

Skull was shouting at the top of his lungs before sighing and slapping his face with his palm.

Oh...

"I got it!"

Out of nowhere, a rush of brown, blue, silver, and red grabbed me and swung me back at Kaneshiro. I have no idea how physics worked anymore, but it worked.

"Don't miss this time, Gun!" Queen shouted with a smile.

Kaneshiro was gonna get it this time, I thought. I wasn't scared of heights anymore… for some reason. I clenched my fist and aimed for the belly.

"TASTE KNUCKLE SANDWICH, YOU FAT PIECE OF—"

I stopped because I realized how corny my insult was becoming. Also, I just HAD to shut up to fully realize the absolute euphoria I felt when I shoved my fist into Kaneshiro's fat belly.

We were both falling off his robot pig thingy; I threw him farther ahead of me so I could slam his throat with another swing of my arm.

When we landed, I could feel my knees buckle and my breath catch itself.

"Good job, Gun. We'll take it from here."

Joker pat me on the back.

Fox nodded to me with a smile. He and Panther gave me a high five.

"Man, Gun. That was pretty epic, even for you!" Mona said.

"Queen and you make a great team." He added.

I could feel my cheeks flushing and my body floating to a little place called Nirvana.

"Hey, it was MY idea first!" Skull complained, sighing. He was hanging his shoulders a bit low, and I could see him exhaling the bit of frustration out. He then looked at me and gave me a pat on my shoulder.

"Took you a Queen to make it work, huh?"

I walked back and shrugged.

"I was scared of heights, but I was more scared of failing a second time." I bluffed.

"Hey, at least you made it work the second time, right?" Queen said, nudging my arm.

I couldn't help but smile when I saw her.

"Wh-what you did though… h-how..?" I asked, the words seemingly slipping from my mouth.

She shook her head.

"I was waiting on the other side in case the plan didn't work at first. I was right, of course, and I rode Johanna at top speed to be able to jump high with enough acceleration to stop your fall and get you back up—"

I smiled, although my eye was starting to twitch from all the things she said that I didn't understand.

"I'll be honest, you lost me at the words top speed."

Queen sighed.

"Hmm… perhaps I'll teach you some concepts of physics one day."

I laughed at her words because I didn't know any other way to stop the butterflies in my stomach.

Skull spoiled the fun, however, when he snapped his fingers in front of me.

"Hey, you two. If you need to ask something from this guy, you should probably do it now."

He pointed at Kaneshiro, who was lying on the ground.

Makoto nodded at me before giving the shadow a swift kick to the—

"Argh!"

Nuts.

"What about you, Gun?"

I looked at the pathetic shadow that lay before me and I shook my head.

"I'm okay. For some reason, I'm not that mad at him anymore. Honestly, I think it's for the best if we just leave right now."

The ground shook from beneath us.

Mona shouted, "The Palace is crumbling! Let's hurry out of here!"

I shrugged and turned tail. We hurried out of the Palace and fell. On the pavement. Hard.

The others wanted to discuss the treasure, but my head was spinning so hard I thought it would have been better if I just headed straight home.

A few days later…

" _This Makoto sounds too good to be true. Are you sure you're not thinking too hard?"_

I sighed, readjusting the phone on my hand as I paced around my room to keep my body from being to idle.

"Mom, if she's making you think she's too good to be true, it's because she might be the one! She's smart, she's friendly, she's loyal…"

" _Okay, okay… I get it. So, you're saying you're going to give us scholars to be our grandchildren?"_

I freaked out.

"What the heck, mom?! You don't just—"

I heard laughing from the other end of the line.

" _I'm just teasing, Ryosuke. Your father and I will be very proud of you, no matter what our grandchildren end up becoming… your father was just laughing, you know. He said it was a miracle that we'd even end up HAVING grandchildren."_

"Hey! I take offense to that! I'll have you know that I have many good female friends in Shujin."

" _Like that Ann Takamaki from the magazines? She's really pretty, Ryosuke; I'm surprised you aren't going for her. Or that Haru friend of yours; she seems very polite and courteous. Have you asked her if she knew how to cook a good sunny side-up?"_

"Mom, I like Makoto, remember? Ann and Haru are just my friends and all, but that doesn't mean I'll fall in love with either of them. Also, you don't just judge a woman's worth by what she can cook, mom."

After a few more minutes of talking and pacing around the room, I put down the phone and sighed to myself. My parents were generally kind people, but hell if they weren't going to make fun of me every once in a while.

 _Haru, huh? Now I know what kind of girl my parents like…_

N-no, Haru is just a friend.

 _Lol, I'm just messing with you, me. Makoto Niijima for life._

I put on my jacket and headed out. Today was the fireworks festival, but Elizabeth "asked" me to join her instead of seeing Makoto.

… And the others, of course. I didn't forget them, I promise.

Anyway, Elizabeth mentioned something about meeting some people? Something about finding out about what's going on with the Velvet Room, I think.

A limousine stopped in front of me, and I was almost bit too lost in thought to notice it at first.

"Frick!"

God, I am so thankful I didn't crash into an expensive car like this. My parents would probably kill me if I did.

"Ryosuke, your ride is here." I heard a familiar voice.

I watched the car window roll down and saw white hair and yellow eyes.

"Elizabeth, why the limo?" I asked. After which, I heard the doors open once more and the sound of high heels tapping the pavement.

"Arisato… you look so much like Minato…"

A redhead woman stepped out of the car along with… was that Fuuka Yamagishi?

"Ryosuke, let me introduce Mitsuru Kirijo. Mitsuru, I introduce you to Ryosuke Arisato."

Fuuka smiled and waved hello. Mitsuru, on the other hand…

Shook her head and smiled. For a second, I thought she was gonna hug me, which would have been really freaking awkward.

"I'm surprised you knew Yamagishi, albeit a pleasant surprise. It's nice to meet you. We have much to discuss, so please get inside."

I nodded and entered the limousine.

I have never had a limousine before. This just solidifies how average I really am compared to the rest of the world.

"If you don't mind, we'll be having two guests later on. I specifically arranged this meeting on this date on the night of the fireworks festival because I had an excuse to be here— there being a business meeting with an acquaintance of sorts."

I scratched my head.

"I see… so you're hitting two birds with one stone?"

She nodded.

"Indeed, which is why we need this to be quick."

Once Fuuka entered the vehicle, we sped off into the city.

"Yamagishi and I have offered to help Elizabeth find the reasons for why the Velvet Room hasn't been responding."

Mitsuru motioned towards Fuuka, who was holding her laptop.

Mitsuru continued, "The Kirijo Group has handled situations from out of this world in the past… specifically, a case from six years ago."

I was reminded of my Evoker from inside my apartment room and the inscription embedded into it.

"SEES?"

Mitsuru nodded.

"Elizabeth has informed me that she gave you Minato's Evoker, so it seems this isn't a surprise for you. SEES is short for 'Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad', and we disguised ourselves as a school club in order to blend in at the time."

I nodded. I had trouble imagining half of what she said, but I believed her. Though the prospect of an underground organization trying to save the world under wraps and all being carried out by teenagers was pretty damn unbelievable to most, I had received my older brother's corpse a few nights before my tenth birthday.

"What was Minato back then? To you?" I asked without thinking. Apparently, my words were either unexpected or just generally surprising, judging from the looks I received from the three women in the limousine.

Fuuka looked at Mitsuru, as if waiting for her to answer.

"He was… our leader."

"I figured." I said at the top of my head. It was really expected for someone like him to take command…

 _I could have probably been a leader too… given the chance._

Don't make this a pissy pity party, Ryosuke. Keep calm.

Silently, I sighed.

"So… what do I do now? With the Velvet Room thing, I mean."

Mitsuru motioned at Elizabeth, who nodded in return with a smile and a straight look.

"Keep feeding us information you gather from your friend, the other wild card. Don't blow your cover and you'll be fine."

I smiled. "I can do that. What about you guys?"

Elizabeth looked at Fuuka, who opened her laptop and showed us the screen, which was littered with graphs and some technological stuff I didn't understand.

Fuuka started, "We'll try to siphon some energy that even remotely resembles that from the Velvet Room. If we can determine even one of its doorways and open it from the outside…"

"… we will be able to find out the reason why it has stopped communicating with the other former inhabitants. We will the figure out the current conditions of the Velvet Room and provide certain adjustments in the event of its need." Elizabeth finished.

Mitsuru looked at me.

"We'll be counting on you, okay? I believe you can do this job, Arisato."

I gave her a thumbs up.

In that instant, the doors of the limousine opened.

"Mister Kunikazu Okumura, a pleasant day to you." Mitsuru greeted.

The man and his daughter took a seat in front of us. His daughter…

"Ryosuke?" She asked.

"Haru?" I replied.

"Haru, it is rude to talk unless you are spoken to." The man, Haru's father, interrupted.

"I apologize, Miss Mitsuru Kirijo. The pleasure is all mine, and I believe I haven't met your… companions?"

Mitsuru nodded towards us.

"These are Fuuka Yamagishi and Elizabeth, my secretary and an acquaintance, respectively."

Kunikazu points at me, after. "And him?"

"He is one of my associates in Tokyo; a protégé if we're being more thorough."

Wow, I just became someone's protégé. If that wasn't something special, I didn't know what was.

"I see. I'll see to it that my daughter Haru would be more interested in taking over our business."

I didn't know whether to smile because of the compliment or frown because of Haru's dejected look.

I decided I would keep quiet and watch the grown-ups talk.

The ride to wherever we were going took a bit longer, although I passed the time by looking at Haru. She was wearing a lightly colored kimono, although the darkness of the limousine made it harder for me to see her.

I spent the rest of the ride by talking to her by means of body language and a bit of sign language.

"Damn traffic… I'll just have to settle for this, I suppose." I heard Haru's father mumble as the limousine stopped moving.

When we got out of the car to watch the fireworks, I felt my arm being taken. Haru smiled at me and motioned for me to watch the sky as a few fireworks had started to fly.

I heard Haru snicker and I looked at her in surprise.

"They look good, huh?" I asked her.

She nodded.

"Yeah…"

After a few moments of silence, she tapped my shoulder.

"Protégé, huh?"

I shrugged.

"It's something, okay? Anyway, Haru, I didn't know you were—"

Haru cut me off with a shush, "Shut up and enjoy the fireworks."

We both laughed as a few more fireworks set off.

"I'm surprised though, seeing as you would have fought tooth and nail to spend this evening with the student council president—huh?"

I felt it on my hand: Little by little, the rain drops hit the pavement. People started going back to their cars, cursing and complaining.

Haru and I looked at one another and sighed. An umbrella appeared above us, being held by a man in a black suit. Quickly, we were both escorted back into the limousine.

All of a sudden…

"RYOSUKE?!"

I looked up and saw Makoto Niijima, Akira Kurusu, and the rest of the Phantom Thieves standing under the roof of a convenience store nearby.

I raised a hand.

"Sup?"

Ryuji shouted back.

"HEY, YOU GOT ANY MORE ROOM IN THAT THING?!"

I shook my head.

 _Shut up, Ryuji. I already have a headache thinking of what to tell you all tomorrow..._

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **Sorry for the wait.**

 **School was hell these last few months (crushed by projects, homework, one-sided relationships and all that teenage nonsense I'll get over after a while), and I had a bit of trouble thinking of a way to proceed with the story.**

 **I have no idea when I could update again (I'm learning how to drive), but I'm sure it will be within this year. (Hopefully)**

 **I mean, I could finish the next one by next month, but better be sure than giving you all false hope, eh? (This is sounding familiar... kind of like that one girl-)**

 **Shut up, me.**

 **Anyway, I'm really glad for anyone who reads this story, and I'm really grateful for giving me your time. It really means a lot to me that you're giving me this opportunity to deliver to you all.**

 **For anyone asking, this story will still be heavily influenced by the original story, but it WILL begin to change A LOT later on.**

 **And about my other story, well... it might be in a bit of a hiatus in the meantime. I'll update it when I get the drive to do so, but I'll be focusing on this story first. You have my sincerest apologies.**

 **Again, I would like to thank you all once more for reading until the end, and I wish you all a great day!**


	7. 7 Metal Heart

**Chapter 7: Metal Heart**

I stared out of the window of Mitsuru's car, staring blankly at the streetlights that lit up the darkness of the night. Regularly, I would look at the silent figure of the mature looking businesswoman sitting next to me, staring at her phone as if waiting to pick it up as soon as she could.

Elizabeth wasn't with us today, but Fuuka was busily tapping away at her laptop at the passenger seat. Every so often, she would stop typing and give me a smile, as if she were telling me, ' _sorry this is taking so long, I hope you aren't too bored'._

It wasn't so bad, really. Despite the city lights that showed streets filled with passing strangers and dark corners, it only really added to the excitement I felt as I listened to some intense music from my MP3 player… big brother's MP3 player.

 _Right… these are Minato's friends, huh?_

His name was a sore subject and I'm not going to lie—I wanted to forget about him so bad, but at the same time, I really wanted him back in my life and just… just be the little brother always leaning on his shoulder. This was my not-really-unconscious, but still sentimental reason for trying so hard to look like him.

I can make out my reflection from the window, and it almost felt like Minato was watching me from the other side.

"… _call me royal flush, and I'm the ace…"_ The song ended. I took off my headphones and let them hang around my neck. I stretched my slightly numb arms and legs and let out a small yawn, the cold of the vehicle slowly getting to me.

Shortly after, I felt the car stop. Seeing the outside, it was a small park near a train station that I didn't recognize. Trees surrounded us like living fences (although they technically were in a twisted sort of way), there was a line of benches separated a few meters apart, and there was a fountain in the center that didn't seem to be working.

"Ryosuke, please come here for a bit." Fuuka called. Next to her were a blonde woman with unnaturally blue eyes, large earphones, and unnaturally white skin, and the other was a brunette lady wearing a hood over her head.

The two of them looked at me, startled.

"You… can I..?" The hooded woman asked. I just nodded, not really knowing what she was talking about until a bear hug caught me by surprise.

"God… you really DO look like him." She cried softly, nuzzling her face on my shoulder. At first, I was tempted to push her off, but I soon understood where she was coming from—she probably missed Minato as much as I do, and unlike me, she never got to give a proper farewell.

I was deciding between hugging her back or just standing like a pole, but by the time I thought of at least patting her back, she pulled away, her eyes slightly red from crying.

She wiped her eyes and gave me a small smile. "I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have done that. Get a hold of yourself, Yukari!" She murmured softly. From all this, I deduced that her name was Yukari, although a part of me was still rather puzzled as to how she could look so familiar.

Sure, I knew she was one of the people who attended Minato's funeral, but I had a feeling I've seen her somewhere else.

Then, the blonde girl approached me. I braced myself for another hug, but it never came, and she stood there, studying me from top to bottom.

"Hello, Ryosuke Arisato. My name is Aigis, and she is Yukari Takeba. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, and I look forward to working with you in the future."

I didn't mean to be rude, but I thought her voice sounded quite robotic.

Soon after, I cleared my throat and replied. "I'm glad to meet you all. If you don't mind, however, could you tell me why we're here? I kinda have classes tomorrow."

Again, I didn't mean to sound rude, but I was eager to cut to the chase.

"Oh, right," Mitsuru calmly answered, "as Aigis said, she will be assisting you in your endeavor. She will be given the room next to yours, and she will be enrolling into Shujin Academy. Any questions?"

I shook my head, taking in all the information and deciding to rationalize it later. It was already 10:00 at night, and I was already just barely understanding things as they came to me.

Fuuka put her hands together and gave me a smile. "It would be very nice if you would learn from another fellow wild card. Three wild cards, huh? Sounds really exciting."

Yukari pouted, however. "It's kinda sad that persona users who aren't wild cards are getting kind of obsolete now, huh? I almost feel sorry for myself."

Mitsuru snickered. "Yukari, it's not about the quantity, but the quality of what you can do."

Yukari sighed. "I know… ah, I need to go back to the studio soon. It was good to meet you, Ryosuke!"

After giving me another hug, she quickly turned around and left the scene.

"Studio?" I mumbled out loud.

Mitsuru smiled as we walked back towards the vehicle we came from. "Takeba's a rather popular actress, hence why she was wearing a hood to hide her identity. However, she really wanted to see you, did you know?"

I scratched my head, almost closing the car door before Aigis could get in.

 _Wait, Aigis was coming too?_

 _Wait, Yukari Takeba?_

How didn't I see it before—

"SHE'S FROM FEATHERMAN R!" I accidentally burst out with slightly too much enthusiasm.

…

The next day, I woke up to the sound of a frying pan being used on my barely existent stove.

I opened my eyes and saw Aigis cooking. "Good morning, Ryosuke."

I blinked once, twice, then a third time and realized that I wasn't dreaming. There was a girl in my room, and she was _mechanical._ This also meant that I was seeing her naked..?

"Aigis, uhm, what are you doing?"

She smiled at me. "I am making pancakes. Is that satisfactory?"

I nodded. "Heck yeah, I love pancakes… and all, but I was wondering… if you're a…"

I was having a hard time choosing my words carefully. But it was almost like everything that could come out of my mouth was capable of being interpreted wrongly.

Aigis turned off the stove and nodded. "If you are about to ask me if I were an android, then you are correct."

"Oh."

It was amazing how quickly that exchange ended, and how quickly I had come to accept it.

Was this seriously normalcy to me now? If someone told me six months ago that I would be lodging at a dormitory far from home and studying at some academy in Tokyo with a group of vigilantes and an android to fight the shadows of society, then I would have told that person to "go fuck yourself".

With a computer.

"Did you know Minato?" I asked Aigis, trying to break the ice.

"Yes," she answered quickly, "in fact, we were rather… intimate."

Oh my God Minato fucked a computer.

I scratched my head, listing down topics that were possible other subjects, but I was drawing a blank.

"Uh huh." I merely grumbled, rather incoherently.

Sensing my discomfort, Aigis shifted the topic. "I will be enrolling at Shujin as one of your seniors. What must I expect?"

I scratched my head. "There's a very attractive student council president, there's a garden on the rooftop, there's a library, there's… uh… the phantom thieves, and there was a suicide attempt not too long ago.

Now that I thought about it, the only things I could recall about Shujin, as of the moment, were those facts, making me feel slightly guilty that I had never been more outgoing or active in school activities.

 _Well, the main reason you're here is because of some mission._ I thought to myself, but I still felt sad about it.

Aigis nodded. "Affirmative. You are in a relationship with your student council president, you handle a garden atop the building, you spend much time at the library, your companions are the phantom thieves I keep hearing about, and there have been incidents. Am I correct?"

I shook my head. "A-actually, it's a one-sided crush from me and the president, so please do try not to bring it up."

I was worried about her accidentally telling my friends about my crush on Makoto, but then I realized that, since I was bringing in a girl to school starting today, I suddenly started becoming very conscious of what the other phantom thieves and Haru would think of me.

Then I had a curious thought that I was eager to ask Aigis.

"I'm surprised you didn't just enroll in second year like me. Why?"

"It would not rouse suspicion if we were not of the same class. In other words, we will also go to school on separate times and from separate points of origin." She answered.

"Wait, so you won't be joining the phantom thieves?"

She shook her head. "As I said, I make it my intention not rouse suspicion from anyone, and although I trust in your companions, I fear that, as a former guest of the Velvet Room, I will be noticed."

I ruffled my hair. "Then how will you work with me?"

"I will investigate the Mementos you mentioned. Also, we will visit them together every once in a while to train you in using your Persona."

"Oh. But don't you need the application on your phone to do that?"

She nodded. "Yes. However, Fuuka has already programmed me to be able to enter the Mementos, so I would be able to do so by myself. In regard to how electronics malfunction when under its presence, I will have you know that this phenomenon is closely related to the Dark Hour years ago, so please do not worry."

The Dark Hour, huh?

Minato.

"I see," I answered, "in that case, let's get ready for school. You got any butter for these pancakes?"

…

"Ryosuke! There's this really pretty new student in my class, and her name is Aigis." Haru excitedly told me after dismissal time. We were atop the roof of Shujin academy, once again taking care of her potted plants in her cinderblock garden.

I nodded. "Yeah, I think I passed by her a few times. She kinda lives right next to me, actually."

As much as I would have liked to keep that information a secret, I found myself unable to lie to Haru, who was smiling at me.

"In case you and Makoto don't work out, I see that you'll have a rebound—"

"It's not like that!" I quickly interjected, the very thought being as foreign as Aigis's nationality in her student documents.

Haru continued laughing. "You're really cute when you're flustered." She said.

I sighed loudly as she continued to laugh at my expense.

"I hate being a nice person." I grumbled as I looked up at the night sky.

Haru walked towards me, smiling brightly. "Actually, I really admire the kind of person that you are, Ryosuke. For one, you're really fun to talk to. With that said, and how easy it is to fluster you, I enjoy spending my time with you all day."

The way she said those words so easily made me blush, and I found the thought of spending time with her in the future was… nice.

 _But I'm in love with Makoto._ I reminded myself. Instantly, the thought of Makoto washed those feelings away, and I was suddenly grinning like mad.

"I think Makoto's more beautiful than Aigis, though." I said, earning a frown from Haru.

"Well, of course you were going to say that. You like her, but I still think Aigis takes the cake for me."

She playfully nudged me to the side, and I nudged her back. Soon, it escalated into a more intense game of pushing the other person harder than the other person could push me.

Being a guy, of course, I was physically stronger than her, and I ended up winning.

"I win!" I shouted in delight as she sighed back at me.

"Come on," I told her, "tell me I won."

She was about to speak when her phone began to vibrate.

"Wait, let me… hm… oh dear."

"What is it?" I asked her.

"The group called Medjed… they're waging war on the phantom thieves."

I blinked. "Who's Medjed? Is that like a medicine company or something?"

She shook her head. "They're hackers. They started off as some robin hoods, only taking down corrupt websites and all that… but then, they started doing criminal activities, and at this point, they're capable of anything.

I felt sweat rolling down from the side of my head.

"That's bad, right?"

* * *

A/N

For a while, I felt like the last chapter didn't quite do it for me.

At the same time, I felt rather sorry for Ryosuke, and thought that the last chapter didn't do him much justice.

Also, I figured, "Why not bring the rest of the cast of Persona 3 into the set?"

So, here's the updated Chapter 7. I hope you like it better than the last chapter.

Please leave a review and tell me what you think!

Thank you for your continued support, and hopefully we ride this road until the end of the story!


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